The Settlement
by justamirror
Summary: ON HIATUS AH. " “Now that that’s settled… ” he breathed. And with that he released my wrists, smoothed the front of my shirt, turned, and walked out of my office."
1. Prologue

**Prologue.**

"Isabella", he smoldered at me, grabbing my wrists and pinning them to the wall at my waist. "Just give it up". He covered my mouth with his, effectively cutting my tirade short. I shivered and sighed into him, while fucking years of tension melted from my shoulders and pooled in my gut. His lips travelled down my neck, hot wet, furious. He dragged his rough stubble across my collarbone, before attacking the skin between my shoulder and neck with his tongue and teeth. I cried out at the sensation. My head felt like it had grown wings, and waves of pressure were rolling over my entire body. _Oh, yes PLEASE. Fuck ME. You can have whatever you want, I'm yours._

His motions abruptly stopped and my eyes popped open to meet his steely green gaze. Did I say that out loud?

"Now that that's settled… " he breathed. And with that he released my wrists, smoothed the front of my shirt, turned, and walked out of my office. I watched the door click softly closed behind him, with wide open eyes, and a gaping jaw. My blackberry buzzed insistently on the desk behind me, its rattling across the hard surface of my desk, matching the pace of my heartbeat. Oh shit. I was so screwed.


	2. If you want something done right

I'm a pain in the ass. I know it. My nick name growing up was Princess PITA. But, I can't help it if I have standards, right? My motto has always been, if you want something done right, do it yourself. This is what I found myself grumbling inwardly as Jake's snores began to fill the small confines of the bedroom we currently shared. I sighed heavily, throwing the covers off of my naked body, and reached under the bed for my box of 'goodies' and headed for the bathroom. This was wrong. I knew it, but damn, he did NOT just work me over for an hour, bringing me to the edge of orgasm, repeatedly, and then blow his load and STOP.

Fuck, I'd barely touched him. I was just trying to be fair, he had been face down in my lady bits for a while and I was getting bored, and also, numb. I would get so close, beg him to not stop, and what would the fucker do? Change tack and try out some other maneuver. Jesus, did the man not understand it wasn't a talent exhibition, I just wanted to come. So I pulled his face up towards mine, kissed him viciously and flipped him over, hoping a little breather would help me on the way to my happy place. But, I should have known, as soon as I paid any attention to his dick, playtime for Bella would be over. The second my lips wrapped around him, he was reaching over for a condom. He let me deep throat him a few times before rolling the condom on, giving me a thirty second pounding, and then passing out. Damnit! I banged my head backwards on the bathroom wall at the memory. No more blow jobs for him.

Maybe it was me?

Fuck it. It was totally not me. I was now leaning back on the wall , my hands clutching the rubber vibrator placed right over my clit, just to the right. There. FUCK! I panted, and slid down the wall with a goofy grin, the vibrator rolling its way across the marble floor. Now I could get some damn sleep. I had heads to turn in the morning.

* * *

I woke up groggily, as Jake's footsteps across the wood floor alerted me to the time of day. I didn't need an alarm clock with him in my house; I could rely on him to make as much noise as possible when he left in the morning. I squinted my eyes at Jake as he bent to place a kiss on my forehead.

"Bye Bells. See you tonight, I'll cook. Love you."

"Bye, love you."

And I did love him, even though two things about what he had just said were very wrong.

One, I hated his nickname for me, HATED it. And two, Jake's cooking...my mind was already scrolling through contingency plans for the dinner I would eventually cook one we inevitably threw out whatever absurdly greasy and over-spiced concoction he'd put together and labeled "Indian food". Not quite, Jake. 'A ' for effort though. Why couldn't I just tell him not to bother? Oh right, because I'm a doormat. Really. You would think that one of the most successful junior attorneys at a national law firm would be anything but a pushover at home, but the truth was, spending all of my time fighting for other people left me with very little energy to fight for myself at the end of the day. Pathetic. The front door banged closed and I dragged my ass into the shower, thoughts of the day ahead replacing any lingering reflection on the state of my domestic bliss.

By the time I stepped on the escalator that carried me up from the metro and into the lobby of my office, Jake, dinner, and sex were the furthest thing from my mind. That is, until I found myself rushing straight through rapidly closing elevator doors, and right into sex personified. Fuck. Hello chest. I let my fingers linger on his firm muscles just a moment longer than appropriate, before I removed them, cleared my throat and looked up into the eyes of the man I'd just assaulted. Oh jeebus. Hello eyes, hello lips. Hello sex hair. My mouth gaped open and I took a step backwards, at a loss for words, quickly shaking my head and averting my gaze downward before turning around and facing the elevator doors.

_Mind out of the gutter Bella, big day ahead._

"What floor do you need?" Honey, his voice was like honey, and sex. Wait, what? Shit, I hadn't even pressed the button for my floor. _Good god Bella, pull your head out of your ass._

"Oh, um, sixteenth." I raised my eyes to meet his in the reflection of the shiny doors.

"Me too." He smirked back at me, and dropped his eyes lower, to look at what I presumed was my ass, before his expression changed to one of disgust. Shit. He did NOT just do that. Asshole. I turned my head and sneered at him as the doors opened onto my floor, and exited the elevator with what I thought was a pretty graceful strut, for me, especially in the four inch heels I was sporting. My ass was _perfect_. Hmpf.

Pushing my mortification and self-righteousness aside, I nodded and greeted my secretary, Angela, with a quick smile before grabbing the venti red-eye sitting on the corner of her desk and continuing into my office. I closed the door behind me and checked myself out in the full length mirror on the back of the door. Hair: neat. Make-up: minimal, but effective. Suit: steel grey, crisp white shirt, spotless, pressed. Shoes: come hither. I turned around and looked over my shoulder to confirm the pert status of my rear-end in my fitted pencil skirt.

I gasped in horror. A huge wad of pink gum, was stuck right on my sweet spot. It even had hair and lint stuck to it. Oh, ew!

"Angela!" I yelled out in a panic.

The door swung open and I pulled Angela inside, shutting it behind her.

"Look at my ass!" I turned around, ignoring the confused look on her face.

"Oh, gross!"

"I know!" I whined, "I've got THE meeting in ten minutes, what am I going to do?"

"What size are you? I've got a black number that I was going to put on after work. It's size six? It'll look fine under your jacket, right?"

"Perfect! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She was out the door and back in seconds with the dress. I gave a her a huge hug, and pushed her back out so that I could change. I pulled the dress over my head, slipped my arms into my jacket, buttoned it up, and smoothed my hair back down. Taking a huge breath, and exhaling loudly, I grabbed the leather portfolio off of my desk, and stepped out of my office to meet with my clients, who had just arrived.

"Good morning gentlemen. Mr. Cullen will meet us in the conference room." I smiled, putting them at ease, and getting myself into character. This case could make or break my chance at making partner and I was going to nail it.

* * *

"Thank you gentlemen for coming today, we're making excellent progress. Angela can show you downstairs and help you with anything you need while you're in town. Please don't hesitate to call if you need anything . We'll be in touch again very soon to discuss our strategy."

"Yes, good day Ms. Swan. Mr. Cullen."

A round of handshakes later, our newest clients' representatives were on their way out, and Carlisle and I were grinning at each other like we'd won the lottery. It was all I could do not to jump up and down and squeal with delight. We'd just landed one of the biggest clients in the firm's history.

"Good work Bella. I knew you had it in you."

Carlisle Cullen was one of the names. As in, the three names on the firm's letterhead. Well, it was actually his grandfather's name first. He'd seen something in me and taken me under his wing eight years ago when I had entered the firm as a junior associate, and had taught me everything he knew. He was someone I trusted and admired, and the compliment from him made me blush.

"Thank you Mr. Cullen"

"You're very welcome. I see big things in your future if you play your cards right." I blushed again and began gathering my things to leave the conference room.

"Actually, I need to discuss one more thing with you before you go, have a seat. I'll be right back."

I nodded and moved to sit at the table. My heartbeat accelerated as I waited for Carlisle to return. This could be it, we could finally be discussing my future at the firm. I heard voices approaching from down the hall. I wiped my now sweaty palms on my dress and perched on the edge of my chair, ready to stand. As the door swung open, I stood up with a smile. It immediately fell when I saw the man accompanying Carlisle into the room. No. What? Why was sex on legs walking into _my_ meeting, _the _meeting.

"Isabella, I wanted to introduce you to one of our newest associates. He'll be working with you on the case, he brings a lot of international experience to the table. This is Edward C-"

"Masen," his smooth voice interrupted. "Edward Masen. Pleasure to meet you Ms. Swan". He extended his hand toward mine and I grasped it, trying to hide my disappointment.

"Mr. Masen" I replied with a curt nod.

"As you know, Isabella, we're going to have half of the firm working on this case. You and Edward will be managing it together. I've got to run. I trust you to work everything out on your own."

"Thank you sir," I replied through my tense jaw, "I won't disappoint."

"Thank you Carlisle. See you and Esme tonight." I looked up at Edward with surprised eyes. What. The. Fuck. Who was this asshole? Why was he on a first name basis with Carlisle and his wife, and how had he weaseled his way into managing the firms biggest client?

Carlisle was out the door. Leaving me and Edward locked in a staring match.

"I see you changed your skirt." What. The. Fuck. Again.

"Yes, well, no thanks to you. You could have told me there was a gremlin stuck to my ass."

"I'm sorry, I tried, but you stormed off too quickly."

"Oh, you mean like this?" I swiftly turned and made my way out of the conference room, marching toward my office.

"Bella! Wait."

I stopped and spun around to face him. "That's Isabella to you, or Ms. Swan. _We_ are not on a first name basis."

He walked up to me with his brows furrowed, and then his expression smoothed out and softened as if a light bulb had gone off somewhere in his pretty, pretty head. _Get a grip Bella, don't think about the pretty. Think about your job!_

"Ms. Swan. I know you're more than capable of managing this case on your own, but I am at your service. I think you'll find I won't get in your way. Carl--_Mr. Cullen_ has spoken very highly of you and I look forward to assisting you in whatever capacity you need. I've been brought on for this case specifically, pro bono, if that's your concern."

Ha! Nice try. As if I could trust anything he had to say. Pro bono my ass. Did he think I was an idiot? I slowly let out the breath I was holding and tried to relax my face muscles into a less shrew-like expression. I was giving away to much with my anger.

"Mr. Masen. I appreciate that. I also hope that you've got something else to keep you occupied, because I won't be needing your assistance." I left him there in the hall resolved to banish all thoughts of him and his ugly face from my mind for the rest of the day. Oh please. Who was I kidding? I sighed as images of his face in various states of gorgeous flashed through my memory.


	3. Who said good things come with waiting?

At around 8 PM, I stepped off of the elevator onto the twelfth floor hallway of my condo building and was greeted with the smell of cumin. Revolting. It was the one spice I absolutely could not handle, he _knew_ that. I had completely forgotten that Jake was cooking dinner and I almost wanted to turn around and head back to the office and order in. I certainly had enough work to keep me occupied….. Then again, if I worked at home tonight I had a better chance at keeping Edward out of the loop. I hung my head and continued walking toward my door, trying the door handle, and finding it open.

"Hey babe. Dinner's almost done." Jake enveloped me in a hug and I nearly gagged as he placed a sloppy, cumin scented, kiss on my mouth.

"Hey. I'm just going to go change and take a quick shower. Feeling a little grungy."

"Everything okay Bells?" . I looked at him blankly and nodded, knowing that any attempt to explain my dismal mood would only end up exhausting me further.

"Fine, everything's great. Landed a big client. See you in a few. I already ate though, last minute client dinner" I lied. "Go on without me and I'll sit with you on the couch while I get some work done."

"Sure, more for me! Game's on anyway."

Sighing in relief, I entered my bedroom, stripped, and walked into my bathroom to run a bath. Ten minutes later I was up to my ears in lavender scented bubbles, and feeling a little better. I had just had a hand in making firm history. I should be on top of the world. Edward wasn't going to be a problem. I wouldn't even let him in the door. He was nothing more than a pretty face. A very pretty face. My right hand slithered from the back of my neck down toward my breasts and softly caressed one of my nipples. My left hand slid lower into the hot water….

A knock on the bathroom door startled me out of my reverie.

"Bells, you okay in there? You've been in there for an hour."

An _hour_? "Oh, I'm fine Jake, just taking a soak. Out in a minute."

"Okay, cool. I'll be watching the game."

I sat up and pulled the plug on the drain, watching the water level sink, and feeling the heaviness in my limbs return as the water disappeared. I sighed and stood up, grabbing a soft towel, drying myself off and slipping into some soft sweats and my favorite t-shirt. I looked at my face in the mirror. My cheeks were flushed from the heat of the water and the shame of my fantasies.

I felt bad for making Jake wait so long. And not just tonight. No, I'd been making him wait for years.

We'd known each other since childhood. We started dating, when I was first starting my career and he was starting his business. We were both so busy, we never stopped to think about what we were starting. After a few years, he'd told me he wanted marriage, kids, the whole thing. With me. And I wouldn't give it to him. Not until I made partner, or so I had said. He'd been patiently waiting for me since.

As for me, I was just waiting. And I wasn't sure what for. I could marry him tomorrow and it wouldn't change things. At the very least I could wear the ring he had purchased for me. But I didn't want to do either of those things. And, I just couldn't walk away either. I was a needy bitch like that.

I was more terrified of life without him than I was of life with him, and I still held the hope that if I waited long enough, it would feel right.

I walked into living room to find him and my cat sprawled out on the sofa, watching the Redskins embarrass themselves on national television. I felt my heart swell a little at the picture of contentment in front of me.

"Hey," I smiled. "Room for one more?"

"Aw man. Kitty and I just got comfortable." Just like that, the balloon in my chest popped, and I felt the familiar tension in my neck and shoulders return.

"Okay. I've got to work on a memo anyway. I'll take the chair." I passed quickly in front of the television, trying to avoid interrupting Jake's view, and grabbed my laptop from the end table next to the sofa.

Settling into my chair by the window, I opened my computer and lost myself in my work. At a certain point, I looked up to find myself alone in the dark living room. I'd been at work for another three hours; it was late, two in the morning. I had been waiting for Jake to tell me to pack it in and come to bed with him; maybe he'd been waiting for me to pack it in and take him there myself. I suddenly felt tears well up in my eyes.

_Don't feel sorry for yourself Bella. It's not like he's a mind reader, and it's nothing less than you deserve._ I quietly entered the bedroom and slid into the small space on my side of the bed, careful not to disturb Jake as I wrapped myself in the warmth of the covers. My heart felt like lead and my thoughts were racing as I attemped to shut down for the night. Slowly, I drifted off into sleep, haunted by dreams of a stranger.


End file.
